Proceedings of the Athanasius Kircher Society » The Tempest Prognosticator

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February 13th, 2007

The Tempest Prognosticator

The Tempest Prognosticator, also known as the “Leech Barometer” or the “Atmospheric Electromagnetic Telegraph,” was a 19th century weather forecasting device invented by George Merryweather and first exhibited at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. From a contemporary account of the invention, relayed in A Tonic to the Nation:

This elaborate and highly ornate apparatus was evolved by a certain Dr. Merryweather (no epigram intended) who had observed that during the period before the onset of a severe storm, fresh water leaches tended to become particularly agitated. The learned Doctor decided to harness the physical energy of these surprisingly hysterical aquatic bloodsuckers to operate an early warning system. On the circular base of his apparatus he installed glass jars, in each of which a leech was imprisoned and attached to a fine chain that led up to a miniature belfry — from whence the tinkling tocsin would be sounded on the approach of a tempest.

The more bells that rang, the greater the likelihood of an impending storm. A full-scale working model of the Tempest Prognosticator resides at the Barometer Museum in Okehampton, Devon.

Previously in the Proceedings: The Snail Telegraph.

[Acknowledgments to Mr. X]

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